The Airline Paid Us to Fly

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

My alarm was set for 3:45 am, but I needn't have bothered setting it. After a fitful night of sleep, I was awake before the alarm even went off. While Bob took our overnight bags to stash in the car, I checked out of the hotel. The shuttle left from the lobby precisely at 4:30 am for the airport.

Our shuttle driver was obsessed with planes and airports. When he found out we were going to the Caribbean, he told us all about the airport in St. Marten where approaching planes fly over the nearby Maho Beach at a very low altitude...visiting this airport was on his bucket list. Even after we mentioned that we had already been there he continued to rattle off all sorts of facts and trivia about the airport.

As we were getting close to MSP, the driver started pointing up in the sky to planes getting ready to land. He was able to identify each one (in the dark mind you!) and from there gave a long string of details about Fedex and their flights. If anyone needs an aviation expert for a trivia team, he’s your man.

I am fortunate to be married to a man that doesn't say "I told you so" because we breezed through security and then had a long wait until our flight boarded. Waiting another hour to take the 5:30 am shuttle would have gotten us to the airport in plenty of time. Yes...it would have been nice to have an extra hour in bed, even with poor sleep.

Well before dawn with a Caribou coffee to start the day.

Our airfare had been a great deal using very few points, but to get such cheap tickets meant booking basic economy fare. No seat assignments until 24 hours before the flight and at that point only middle seats were left. At least we were in consecutive rows.

The flight went smoothly and we landed a few minutes ahead of schedule for our layover in Atlanta. While waiting for the second leg of the trip to Ft. Lauderdale, the gate agent announced that the flight was overbooked and they needed volunteers to give up their seats. I didn't wait for her to repeat the request. Once I was sure they could get us on a flight the same day we agreed to be bumped. Our compensation? We each were to receive $400 which would be applied to a gift card of our choosing. 

Our layover became a little longer than planned, but well worth it!

We were confirmed on a flight for 3:58 (less than 4 hours later than our original flight) but then asked to be put on standby for an earlier flight at 2:30 pm. It didn't look promising since that flight was also fully booked but luck was on our side and we got the last two seats! We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale just two hours later than our original flight...and $800 richer!

Once in FLL, we had to retrieve our checked bags which had arrived earlier on our original flight. It was a relief to see them safely inside the baggage office, but a letdown when we saw that my luggage had been severely damaged. It looked like an elephant had sat on the bag. There was a gaping hole where the side had popped loose. Luckily the lining was still intact which kept the contents from spilling out.

Knowing the bag still had to make it through the cruise and then another flight to get home, I was not sure what to do. The lady working at the baggage office said "oh, it isn't so bad". What?!?! I had visions of it on the bottom of one of the huge bins of luggage being loaded onto the ship with my unmentionables being strewn all across the dock.

She and Bob worked to get the side pushed back somewhat into place and then she scrounged around in a back room and came out with a dirty luggage strap to help hold things together. The strap had an ID card from someone from Tokyo so I know it was a lost & found item. I filled out a damage report and they assured me that Delta would compensate me in some form for the damage. 

Fingers crossed that the strap holds things together!

Having flown into FLL for previous cruises, we knew where to go to catch the shuttle to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express on 17th Avenue. It was the first time we had been at the HI-Express although we have stayed at the Hyatt Place and Embassy Suites nearby. The regular hotel entrance was blocked off for construction and there was only a temporary lobby, but our room was fine. It looked like it had been newly renovated with modern furniture and a very large screen TV. One indication that the room had just been redone were the many USB outlets available. The bathroom had a nice glass shower and a sliding door between the bedroom and entry/bathroom area made it possible for one person to get ready in the morning without the light or noise bothering someone else trying to sleep later.

Our room looked out over the pool.

View from window.

For dinner we walked across the street and had gyro platters at a little spot in a strip mall. Nothing to get excited about but it was incredibly nice to sit outside soaking in the warm evening air.

The long travel day caught up with us so after showering we crawled into bed. Bob enjoyed watching some sports on TV while I updated my blog notes. As I was working on my iPad a weather alert came through. There was a winter weather advisory for our county back in Minnesota! 

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM Wednesday. Snow. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening and Wednesday morning commute.

So...please disregard the statement I made at the beginning of yesterday's blog saying there were no weather issues! Honestly...it didn't affect us, but it is just the idea that EVERY SINGLE TIME we travel it seems a big weather system comes through at home or where we are headed.